Somewhere out there, Kendall Roy is jumping for joy, following official confirmation that he was, in fact, tipped to succeed his father’s media empire on Succession. That’s according to the HBO show’s creator, Jesse Armstrong, who finally came clean on the handwritten strike through (or below) Kendall’s name in the fourth episode of Succession’s final season.
For those who need a refresher, the episode follows the Roy family as they grieve the loss of Logan, following his death early on in season four. Kendall, who had long tussled with his siblings to assume the family business, is presented with a piece of paper that seemingly confirms him as the successor, but his name has been either underlined by Logan (played by Brian Cox), or crossed out altogether.
Logan’s handwritten doodles sparked debate among fans as to whether Kendall (played by Jeremy Strong) was actually intended to head Waystar Royco, but Armstrong has come in with a definitive answer at a recent appearance in London. “If you were gonna cross out [the name]” the showrunner said, “you wouldn’t start underneath, would you?”
Members of the crowd reportedly shouted out “underlined” in agreement with Armstrong, all-but ingraining Kendall’s name into the family business forever. It was one of multiple Succession revelations made by Armstrong, who said that while he was hesitant to speak about the show while it was still airing, he’s “happy to spoil it” now that it has wrapped.
Armstrong went on to reveal that Matthew Macfadayen — who played sycophant and surprise Waystar successor Tom Wambsgans — had long been briefed on the potential for his character to assume the family business. Armstrong would remind Macfadyen even during early seasons that “it could be you,” and gave the actor subtle hints as to how to play certain scenes.
Spilling more details about the fate of the characters, Armstrong revealed that it was him who physically drew the line that underlined Kendall’s name, giving the eldest sibling the much-needed recognition he pined for throughout Succession’s entire run.